Palmarès 65° Festival dei Popoli
Best Feature Film Award
MOTHER VERA by Cécile Embleton, Alys Tomlinson (Great Britain | 2024 | 91 min), awarded by the International Jury composed of author Kumjana Novakova (North Macedonia), producer Michela Pini (Switzerland), director Martín Solá (Argentina) with the following motivation:
‘A sensitively constructed film work that respectfully and gradually introduces us to a woman whose complex life decisions, capable of changing her profoundly, are shared with us through the essential elements of cinema: light, sound, time and space, achieving a delicate balance between form and content, aesthetics and substance.’
Second prize best feature film
BOGANCLOCH by Ben Rivers (Great Britain, Germany, Iceland| 2024 | 78 min) awarded by the International Jury with the motivation:
‘A film with an extraordinary ability to reveal the intimacy of a man's everyday life, immersed in his surroundings, whether pre-existing or constructed by himself. It succeeds in poetically and realistically capturing the essence of the human experience, inviting us to empathise deeply with the protagonist and making us experience a total harmony between man and nature’.
Discoveries Competition Prize
WHAT WE ASK OF A STATUE IS THAT IT DOESN'T MOVE by Daphné Hérétakis (Greece, France| 2024 | 31 min), awarded by the Discoveries International Jury composed of Charlotte Serrand (France), Emma Caviezel (Germany) and Flavia Dima (Romania) with the motivation
‘The main prize goes to an inventive and playful film that crosses the boundaries between fiction and documentary, and creates an engaging portrait of a city struggling to reconcile with its past and present.’
Special Mention Discoveries Competition Prize
CITY MUSEUM by Boris Dewjatkin (Germany | 2024 | 26 min), awarded by the Discoveries International Jury, with the following motivation:
‘The jury would like to recognise an exploratory work by a young filmmaker, rich in philosophy, politics and ideas about the form of contemporary cinema and urban spaces.’
The Discoveries Young Jury Award
THE STIMMING POOL by The Neuroculture Collective (Great Britain | 2024 | 67 min), awarded by the young jury composed of students from Italian universities:
‘for the innovative look that allows one to immerse oneself, through a sensory narrative, in a space of authentic freedom’.
Gian Paolo Paoli’ award for best anthropological film
THE FLATS by Alessandra Celesia (Ireland, France, Belgium, Great Britain | 2024 | 114 min), awarded by the international jury:
‘For its human gaze and sensitive approach to the social complexities of a space marked by perpetual violence, transposing the common and the collective through the personal stories of a small group of Belfast residents.’
Award for Best Italian Documentary
COSE CHE ACCADONO SULLA TERRA by Michele Cinque (Italy, Germany | 2024 | 83 min), awarded by the Italian jury composed of journalist Carolina Mancini, critic Rodolfo Sacchettini and photographer and director Paolo Woods, with the following motivation
‘There is a red thread linking all the films we had the privilege of watching: they are stories of ‘resistance’, of small fighters trying to leave their mark on an environment - natural and human - crossed by violent and overpowering forces. The work that we found most agreeable takes us far and very close, from the long shots of a demythologised Italian west (west) traversed by the heirs of transhumance to the narrower ones of the intimacy of a family that, although crushed between the inexorability of industry and that of nature - which have different proportions and points of view from human ones - manages to find the tenacity to stand up and choose a precarious and authentic freedom.’
CG Entertainment Distribution Award to the Best Italian Film
VALENTINA E I MUOSTRI by Francesca Scalisi (Italy, Switzerland | 2024 | 80 min), awarded by the distribution company CG Entertainment:
‘In a world that seems to reward only those who prove to be strong and imperturbable, the protagonist of this film claims her right to be fragile, and to make this fragility, that of the territory in which she lives and of the people around her, the emotional starting point for a path of growth towards freedom, resistance, the construction of a better future.’
CG Digital Distribution Award to the Best European Film in the ‘Habitat’ section
SAVE OUR SOULS by Jean-Baptiste Bonnet (France | 2024 | 91 min), awarded by the distribution company CG Entertainment:
A space-time suspension where the souls of those who put their lives at risk, those who help and those who observe become one: this film shows us, with clear modesty and essential grace, the gaze of those who welcome and listen , and, on the same horizon, the reverse shot of those who tell, hope and trust. Everyone is in the same boat, everyone, at least while you are on board, is safe.'
Theatrical Distribution Award ‘Gli Imperdibili’
HONEYDEW by Marco Bergonzi and Michael Petrolini (Italy | 2024 | 89 min) and PORTUALI by Perla Sardella (Italy | 2024 | 81 min), awarded by Cinema La Compagnia by FST - Fondazione Sistema Toscana, with the motivation:
‘First of all, we want to emphasise that the films in competition were all able to involve us: they struck us for the variety of stories, looks, styles. We decided to award two of them, which we trust will be able to enthral the audience of the Casa del Cinema della Toscana because they deal with important themes, which concern us all without exception. Two very different films, but which reaffirm the social function that distinguishes documentary cinema. Two films also chosen for the desire to see the protagonists again here, in our theatre, with our audience, free from the constraints that commercial choices sometimes impose.’
Human Rights Award - Amnesty International Italy
SAVE OUR SOULS by Jean-Baptiste Bonnet (France | 2024 | 91 min) awarded by Amnesty International Italy, with the motivation:
‘for immersing us in the everyday life of Ocean Viking, the Sos Méditerranée ship engaged daily in rescue operations made indispensable by current migration policies. The filmmaker Jean-Baptiste Bonnet has documented the multiple aspects related to the role of the NGOs at sea: a complexity almost always absent from the news, which is usually interested in the evolution of the political clash on the issue or only in the moment of disembarkation once a port has finally been assigned. Save Our Souls reminds us that claiming and respecting human rights requires an effort, but this effort today is more necessary than ever.’
Il Cinemino’ Theatrical Distribution Award
PORTUALI by Perla Sardella (Italy | 2024 | 81 min) awarded by the Il Cinemino team with the motivation:
‘The work stands out for its profound social value and its ability to tell from a circumscribed story the drama of a profound and universal theme such as respect for man and the working class. At a time when social responsibility is vital, this film not only documents an episode but also stimulates an urgent debate on peace, labour law and human rights.’
AMC Award
TINERET by Nicolò Ballante (Italy | 2024 | 63 min) awarded by the Associazione Montaggio Cinematografico e Televisivo to the editor Cecilia Casella with these words
‘First work by a very young author, who has shown great ability in following the characters over the course of several years and condensing their complexity into a coherent and narratively clear cinematic narrative. The editing stands out for its ability to give rhythm and harmony to the events of the young protagonist Andrei, succeeding in rendering the slow but inexorable decay that pervades his journey; a hero's journey turned upside down, a protagonist who gradually sheds his dreams, expectations and desires, to root himself exclusively in the stability of his affections. The precise and balanced editing succeeds in involving the viewer in this emotional descent, powerfully bringing out the link between the images and the psychology of the protagonist.’
Popoli Prize for Kids and Teen
JUMP OUT by Nika Šaravanja (Italy, Belgium, Croatia, Qatar | 2024 | 52 min), with the motivation:
‘The film we chose is about resilience and the spirit of sacrifice, it shows how seemingly small children can by sheer force of will go far. We believe that the story of Ian, Promise and Marcus should be told, to encourage everyone to never give up. For this and other reasons, we decided to award the prize for best film in the Kids and Teens section’.
The festival is realised with the contribution of Europa Creativa Media, MiC - Direzione Generale Cinema e Audiovisivo, Regione Toscana, Comune di Firenze, Fondazione Sistema Toscana, Fondazione CR Firenze, Calliope Arts Foundation and Publiacqua.
It is organised within the framework of the “50 Giorni di Cinema a Firenze” that is part of the Triennial Cinema Project, supported by the Ministry of Tourism and local institutions and realised thanks to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Municipality of Florence, the Region of Tuscany and Fondazione Sistema Toscana, Fondazione CR Firenze, and the Chamber of Commerce.
